Oregon, 2016

High Surf in Oregon, January 26, 2016

January 26, 2016 · NWS MFR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

3' steel-hulled crab fishing vessel Sarah Jo had a crew of 3. She was crossing the Coos bar around 4 pm local time, when the crankshaft broke, possibly as a result of rough conditions.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$500,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MFR wrote it up.

The 42.3' steel-hulled crab fishing vessel Sarah Jo had a crew of 3. She was crossing the Coos bar around 4 pm local time, when the crankshaft broke, possibly as a result of rough conditions. After losing power, the boat then took a breaking wave on the bar, capsized, then sank. A USCG report shortly before the incident reported 10-12 foot steep breaking seas within the channel, and 8-10 foot steep seas just beyond the jetty. Conditions were worsening during rescue operations. Winds were south around 10 KT with 5 NM visibility. The bar was restricted to vessels below 40 feet. Note: The Sarah Jo was attempting to recover pots for the Eagle III, a crab fishing vessel that collided and broke up on the north jetty of Coos Bar on 01/19/2016, with the loss of 3 lives.

LOCATION: 43.355, -124.342: Within main channel of Coos Bar.

DEATHS: 1

MISSING PERSONS: 0

IMPACTS: All 3 crew were rescued from the water by the USCG and sent to the hospital. Raymundo Cardoso, 46, of Winchester Bay, later died from his injuries. Vessel sank in the channel and is most likely a complete loss. May also be a navigational obstruction.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 26, 4:30 AM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 26, 4:30 AM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
430 AM PST TUE JAN 26 2016

.DISCUSSION...A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE OVER THE WEST
COAST TODAY AND WEDNESDAY WHILE ANOTHER FRONT WAITS OFFSHORE
AROUND 130W. THERE IS PLENTY OF MOISTURE IN TERM OF MID AND HIGH
LEVEL CLOUDS AND A FEW SHORT WAVES TROUGH MOVING INLAND WILL HELP
TO RING OUT LIGHT SHOWERS FOR AREAS OF THE CASCADES. OTHERWISE THE
WEATHER FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW WILL BE QUIET.

OUR MAIN CONCERN SHIFTS TO LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY AS
THE JETSTREAM TAKES AIM AT OUR FORECAST AREA. RAIN IS EXPECTED AT
THE COAST LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THEN SPREAD INLAND ON THURSDAY.
WITH THE SNOW LEVELS ABOVE 7000 FEET THERE WILL BE A GREAT DEAL OF
SNOW MELT WHICH ADDS TO THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING. HEAVIER RAIN
IS EXPECTED THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. OVERALL WE ARE FORECAST
BETWEEN 3.5 TO 4.5 INCHES OF RAIN DURING THE THURSDAY-FRIDAY
PERIOD FOR CURRY COUNTY SOUTHERN JOSEPHINE COUNTY AND WESTERN
SISKIYOU COUNTY...2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN IN THE CASCADES...1 TO 2
INCHES IN DOUGLAS AND JACKSON COUNTIES...AND ABOUT 0.25-0.75
INCHES OF RAIN FOR NE CALIFORNIA AND LAKEVIEW AREA. SO FAR NONE OF
THE MAIN STEM RIVERS IS FORECAST TO COME INTO FLOOD STAGE BUT
SMALL STREAMS ARE LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED ALONG WITH URBAN FLOODING.

ANOTHER AREA OF CONCERN IS GUSTY WINDS AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT.
WINDS AT 700MB WILL BE IN THE 50-55 MPH RANGE FOR THURSDAY AND
THIS WILL AFFECT THE CASCADES AND SISKIYOUS AS WELL AS THE SILVER
LAKE AREA. THE SHASTA VALLEY AND SOUTHERN JACKSON COUNTY WILL
ALSO SEE GUSTY WINDS BUT WIND DIRECTION IS NOT ALIGNED FOR VERY
STRONG WINDS. IN SPITE OF THIS WE CAN SEE 20-30 MPH WINDS.

THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INLAND FRIDAY AND SNOW LEVEL
WILL BE COMING DOWN TO 5500 FEET. THIS WILL HELP SLOWING DOWN THE
SNOW MELT AND ADD SNOW TO THE UPPER SLOPES OF THE CASCADES AND
SISKIYOUS. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECT TO DROP TO AROUND 3000 FEET
FRIDAY NIGHT AND THIS WILL BE BENEFICIAL TO THE MOUNTAIN. /FB

&&

.AVIATION...FOR THE 26/12Z TAF CYCLE...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
ACROSS MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING. PATCHY IFR
CONDITIONS ARE BEING OBSERVED EAST OF THE CASCADES NEAR KLAMATH
FALLS AND IN MOUNT SHASTA CITY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THESE LOWER
CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES SHOULD IMPROVE LATER THIS MORNING TO VFR.
ADDITIONALLY...THERE IS A CHANCE FOR MVFR CEILINGS TO AFFECT THE
COAST AS A WARM FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA...BUT CONFIDENCE IS NOT
HIGH THAT THESE CEILINGS WILL MATERIALIZE. SOME MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION
IS EXPECTED TODAY ALONG THE FRONT AS WELL...FROM THE CASCADES WEST. SK

&&

.MARINE...UPDATED 400 AM PST TUESDAY 26 JAN 2016...SOUTH WINDS WILL
REMAIN LIGHT TO MODERATE...IN THE 10 TO 20 KT RANGE TODAY...WHILE
HIGH AND LONG PERIOD WEST SWELL BUILDS INTO THIS EVENING. A STRONG
FRONT WILL BRING INCREASING SOUTH WINDS EARLY WEDNESDAY INTO
THURSDAY MORNING...WITH THE POSSIBILITY FOR GALES WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY MORNING. CONFIDENCE IS STILL MODERATE FOR
A COASTAL JET FORMING AND MODELS ARE BORDERLINE FOR GALES...SO HAVE
LEFT THE GALE WATCH IN PLACE. ALSO...A HIGH AND LONG PERIOD WESTERLY
SWELL WILL BECOME VERY HIGH LATE WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY FRIDAY...WITH
WEST SWELL PEAKING AROUND 18 FEET AT 18 SECONDS. SEAS WILL SLOWLY
SUBSIDE FRIDAY BUT WILL REMAIN HIGH THROUGH SATURDAY. SK

&&

.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...
CA...NONE.

PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...GALE WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR
     PZZ350-356-370-376.
     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM PST
     THURSDAY FOR PZZ350-356-376.
     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING
     TO 4 PM PST WEDNESDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.
     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM PST
     WEDNESDAY FOR PZZ370.

FJB/FJB/NSK

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, South Central Oregon Coast

When
January 26, 6:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
South Central Oregon Coast forecast zone
Deaths
0 direct, 1 indirect
Property damage
$500,000
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
42.979, -123.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The 42.3' steel-hulled crab fishing vessel Sarah Jo had a crew of 3. She was crossing the Coos bar around 4 pm local time, when the crankshaft broke, possibly as a result of rough conditions. After losing power, the boat then took a breaking wave on the bar, capsized, then sank. A USCG report shortly before the incident reported 10-12 foot steep breaking seas within the channel, and 8-10 foot steep seas just beyond the jetty. Conditions were worsening during rescue operations. Winds were south around 10 KT with 5 NM visibility. The bar was restricted to vessels below 40 feet. Note: The Sarah Jo was attempting to recover pots for the Eagle III, a crab fishing vessel that collided and broke up on the north jetty of Coos Bar on 01/19/2016, with the loss of 3 lives.

LOCATION: 43.355, -124.342: Within main channel of Coos Bar.

DEATHS: 1

MISSING PERSONS: 0

IMPACTS: All 3 crew were rescued from the water by the USCG and sent to the hospital. Raymundo Cardoso, 46, of Winchester Bay, later died from his injuries. Vessel sank in the channel and is most likely a complete loss. May also be a navigational obstruction.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
High Surf, South Central Oregon Coast2016-01-2646MaleBoatingIndirect

What these are

High Surf
Large waves breaking on the shore that caused damage, erosion or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oregon in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, January 2016

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 611879.